Hop on the Lions bandwagon now

By Christian Peck-Dimit Associate Editor

put, 200 meter dash, long jump, javelin, and 800 meter run. Multi-event scoring is calculated using a cumulative point system, since the events are individually scored in different ways.

“One of the challenges with the heptathlon or decathlon is shaking off a bad performance in one event to get a clear head for the next one,” Nimtz said. “I’m happy with my mentality, and being able to stay calm and positive during the event.”

Polo and Nimtz both did well in the shot put, taking second and third in that event with throws of 10.02 meters and 9.98 meters, respectively. In long jump, Polo and Nimtz took second and third, jumping 5.06 meters and 4.95 meters, respectively. Polo took first place in javelin, throwing 30.88 meters.

“I think Neva would agree with me that the meet didn’t go how she wanted it to, but she kept a really clear head and threw a personal record in javelin on day two, as well as putting up a good long jump mark,” Nimtz said. “The next time we’ll compete in the heptathlon will be at the conference championships, and I hope to be able to use the experience I got competing this weekend to put together some marks

I’ll be proud of.”

Next weekend, the track and field team will compete at the Tiffin Extravaganza in Ohio and the Bison Outdoor Classic in Pennsylvania. Both meets will be April 14-15.

This year, the Detroit Lions will finally put it together.

Growing up in the Detroit area, I’ve been told to “just wait, next year is our year” more times than I can count every year. And every year, Detroit sports fail to deliver.

Whether it’s LeBron James smearing the Pistons up and down the court four times a year, or Aaron Rodgers tearing out Lion hearts in the fourth quarter, Detroit teams of every major sport have spent the better part of two decades struggling for relevance.

This struggle peaked only a few short years ago, when, as Detroit sportswriter David Hogg calculated, “The 226 losses suffered by the four Detroit teams in calendar year 2019 are not only the most in Detroit sports history, but also the most of any city or market in any calendar year in the history of North American professional sports.”

Finally, 32 years after the last Lions playoff win, there is hope in Motown once again.

The football franchise put together one of its best offseasons in years, and is primed for its first playoff appearance since 2016.

The foundation for the team’s success was laid down during the back half of the 2022-23 season. Entering the season, excitement for head coach Dan Campbell’s second year in the role had the city riding high.

The first seven weeks, however, were unkind to the team. They went 1-6 and had fans across social media claiming that this season was no different than the abysmal years past, calling up a common mantra: “Same Old Lions.”

Despite the poor start, the team was able to turn it around and win eight of its last 10 games, taking down multiple playoff teams in the process. The magical run culminated in the Lions’ final game when, in spite of already being eliminated from playoff contention, they beat their division rival Green Bay Packers on the road to end their playoff hopes.

Though they missed the playoffs, the team finished the season playing the best ball Lions fans have seen in years, and set high expectations for the coming season.

Anyone who watched the Lions this year could quickly identify the team’s offseason needs: defense, particularly in the secondary. The stats back up the eye-test. The team ranked bottom-three in the league in points and rushing TDs allowed, and dead-last in total yards and first downs yielded.

Though the team has two top-18 picks in this year’s NFL draft, including the No. 6 overall pick, the franchise got to work fixing its problems well before that.

The front office took care of first things first, re-signing key players on the defensive side of the ball, including tackle Isaiah Buggs, linebacker Alex Anzelone, and cornerback Will Harris, all three of whom were top 10 on the team in tackles.

Next, it turned its focus to the gaping holes in its secondary. Cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, as well as safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson headline a wave of big-name free agents headed to Motown. Sutton and Gardner-Johnson will likely be impact players from the jump, and Moseley — at the very least — will provide sorely-needed depth.

On the other side of the ball, the franchise reloaded one of the league’s most potent offenses with a slew of shrewd moves. In response to losing running back

Jamaal Williams and receiver D.J. Chark, they used cheap deals to add David Montgomery and brought Marvin Jones Jr. back for his second stint with the team. Both will compliment quarterback Jared Goff and returning offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as they look to repeat last year’s phenomenal success.

More than just their tangible additions on the field, signing big names away from great teams — Gardner-Johnson from the Eagles, Sutton from the Steelers, and Moseley from the 49ers — signals a larger shift: players are willing to come to Detroit.

Though it may seem small, Detroit fans of any sport will be the first to tell you that usually good players simply sign somewhere else. A mid-level market with a losing pedigree, Detroit is rarely any high-caliber player’s desired destination. As a result, the Lions are usually forced to home grow their teams through the draft and timely trades.

This offseason’s signings could mean a shift in the NFL’s landscape. Perhaps the Lions’ miraculous mid-season turnaround caught the attention of teams around the league. If that’s the case, an already challenging road schedule for the Lions’ upcoming season will prove even more so. But it’s time for the franchise to do what it has failed to do for decades: build on success and deliver when expectations are high.

Campbell and the new and improved Lions squad are primed to shed the Same Old Lions title and bring consistent success to Detroit for the first time in a century.